A 24-year-old man drowned in the Strand Reservoir while fleeing from cops who had confronted him for throwing stones at vehicles.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk says the incident took place on Monday when officers spotted the culprit throwing stones at vehicles.
“At 9:30 police members were driving on the Old Sir Lowry’s Pass Road when they witnessed an adult male 24 years of age standing at the back of a trailer throwing stones at vehicles.
“The members stopped the vehicle and informed the suspect to stop throwing stones as his action can cause an accident.”
According to Van Wyk, the man ignored their warnings and continued to throw stones at both the cops and the police vehicle.
“The members got out of the vehicle and the suspect began to ran towards the reservoir and disappeared under the water,” Van Wyk said.
Police divers were called to the scene, and at 1:52 pm they successfully retrieved his body from the water. He was declared dead at the scene.
Van Wyk said the drowning matter was under investigation, while two cases of assault common and malicious damage to property were added.
Zahid Badroodien, the Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, said the water supply from the reservoir was disconnected from the main system during recovery efforts.
He says the reservoir was drained, flushed, and disinfected.
“The reservoir is being filled and water quality samples taken (5 November 2024). The supply from the reservoir into the system will be reinstated once confirmation is received from the lab that samples pass the SANS 241 water quality standard,” he added.